The Resident Researcher
by District4-divergent-nephilim
Summary: When Castiel panics on a case and zaps fellow hunter Leah Wittmer to the bunker, she doesn't expect to walk out of there with any new friends. But when she moves in to become an extra member in Team Free Will's hunting operations, things don't really go as planned.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

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><p>I am on the forty-fourth floor of the office building where the murder has taken place when the man kidnaps me.<p>

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><p>It starts out as an ordinary day. I wake up in my motel room in Salina, Kansas. I eat breakfast in the motel's breakfast area. I get ready to go over the case files again and research what kind of supernatural beings could inflict the type of damage seen on the corpses. When I get a call at about five thirty in the afternoon, I put on my suit and grab my badge. I load my pistol and tuck it into my belt. I get into my car and drive to the newest crime scene, which, from the police call over the radio, I could tell showed promising signs of a monster attack.<p>

The trouble starts at around six o'clock, when the head policemen tells me that my partner is already here. I don't have a partner. He takes me up to the forty-fourth floor. When I get there, the only person in the room is a man in a tan trenchcoat, who is already leaning over the body. Even from here, I can see the shreds in the victim's body. I can tell his heart is missing without even looking. A werewolf, obviously. The policeman tips his hat at me and leaves because he has work to do. When I approach, the man in the trenchcoat stands up and looks at me with a strange look in his eyes. Is that… fear?

He shows me his badge and tells me that he's from the D.C. office. I show him my badge and tell him that I am from the D.C. office. Then he panics and grabs my wrist.

And suddenly, I'm not in the building anymore.

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><p>Suddenly I'm in a library, on my hands and knees. Before I can even look up, I hear, "Cas, what the hell?" and then I get tackled.<p>

I instinctively kick out at the man that has pushed me to the ground. I can't see, but apparently my foot finds its mark, because I hear a crack and then a grunt of pain.

"Get off me!" I scream, standing up and pulling my pistol out of my waistband.

What I see is a strange scene. A good-looking man with green eyes sits at the table, holding a beer and looking shocked. The man in the trenchcoat has a hand on his shoulder. Another man, one with long brown hair, lies on the floor, clutching his nose as a stream of blood drips through his fingers.

"What are you?" I yell, brandishing the gun. "What are you?"

"Cas, what did you do?" the man sitting at the table asks through gritted teeth.

"She is a federal agent, Dean," the man in the trenchcoat says apologetically. "You never told me what to do if there was another agent working the same case as me."

"I asked what you are!" I shout.

"What do you mean?" asks the green-eyed man, setting down his beer bottle.

"I mean, what kind of monsters are you?" I scream, bringing my gun to a stop when it's pointed at his chest. "Demons? Any other type of monster that can teleport?"

"I don't know what you mean," the man says, standing up and walking over to the man on the floor.

"Well, you will, when I figure out how to kill you," I say angrily. I whip my gun around to point at the trenchcoated man, take aim, and shoot. The bullet goes straight into his chest, right where his heart is, but he doesn't even budge.

The green-eyes man, who was helping up the man I kicked, instantly tackles me to the ground.

"Don't eat me," I scream instinctively. "I'm a hunter. I taste bad!"

"Wait," the man says, sounding surprised as he gets off me. "You're a hunter?"

"Yes," I say, backing away from him.

"But you are so small," say the man I just shot.

I sneer. "Size doesn't really matter if I can still stick a knife into your heart or up your ass."

"Well, don't do that," the green-eyed man says, grinning. "I'm Dean. Dean Winchester."

"A Winchester?" I groan. "Just my luck."

"So you've heard of us," says the man I kicked, who is now leaning against the table.

"You must be Sam," I say bitterly.

He smiles weakly and nods.

"Where are we?" I ask, looking around. We seem to be in a library, with a large table in the middle.

"Our bunker in Lawrence, Kansas," Dean says.

"Lawrence? That's almost two hours from Salina!" I exclaim, turning to the man in the trenchcoat. "If you're a hunter, how the hell did you get us here?"

"All angels can teleport," he says nonchalantly. "It is a simple trick."

If I had been eating, I would've choked on my food. "An angel?"

"Oh, come on," says Dean. "If you've heard of us, you've heard of angels."

"Yeah, but I never believed the stories. I've never seen an angel, let alone met one."

The man in the trenchcoat extends a hand towards me. "I am Castiel." I take his hand shake it tentatively.

"Uh, Cas," Sam says. "Can you heal my nose?"

"Of course." Castiel reaches forward and touches Sam's bloody nose gently. White light flares up around his hand and then fades, revealing Sam's nose to be clean and straight again.

"You have to take me back," I say. "I have to finish that case."

"Sure," Dean says smoothly. "This was just a misunderstanding."

"Oh, yes," I say. "I've just been kidnapped. It's just a misunderstanding."

"Cas didn't mean to," he says angrily.

"Um, yes, he did. He didn't have to grab my wrist in that building and bring me here, but he did."

"He panicked, that's all!"

I turn to Castiel. "Are you going to speak up," I say angrily, "or are you just going to let your boyfriend here defend you?"

"I'm not his boyfriend!" Dean says.

"Whatever," I say, sticking out my hand. "Take me back."

Castiel narrows his eyes at me. "No."

"What?" I ask.

"You are rude. You can get a cab back to Salina."

"I don't have any money for a cab!" I say indignantly. "All my money is back in Salina!"

"Well, that is not my problem," he says.

"You little-" I lunge towards him, but just like that, he disappears. My fingers close around empty air. "Where did he go?"

"To his room, probably," Dean says

"You have to take me back," I say.

"Ah, maybe I'll make you stay here for the night, then take you back tomorrow."

"What?" I exclaim. "No, you can't do that!"

He laughs. "Oh, but I can."

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><p>I'm laying in one of the guest beds in the room Sam showed me when I come up with the idea to steal a car to get back to Salina. After all, there's no guarantee that they'll take me back tomorrow.<p>

Now, I just have to find a car.

I wander around for about five minutes before I come across a garage. Inside are old cars and motorcycles, but one stands out. A Chevy Impala. I smile and get to work hotwiring it.

Pretty soon, I'm pressing the button that opens the garage and zooming out of there.

Let them try to keep me in now.

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><p>When I wake up the next morning, back in my hotel room, I turn around to find Sam, Dean, and Cas sitting at the table next to the window.<p>

I shriek. "How did you find me?"

"I can't believe you thought it was a good idea to take his car," Sam says.

"Well, it was, wasn't it?" I say angrily. "I mean, I got away."

"What made you choose my car?" Dean asks calmly.

"It was cool looking," I say.

"Well, that's because it's my car!" Dean yells.

"Calm down, dude," I say. "You can have it back."

"Yeah, I can, right after I kick your ass!"

"You're not going to kick my ass."

"Oh, yeah?" he sneers. "Please, tell me why not."

"Because on the two hour drive home last night, I figured out what the monster is."

He smirks. "Well, good for you. Don't expect any help from us." He stands up and grabs Cas by the arm. "Let's go, Cas." He pulls him out of the room.

Sam stands there for a few seconds, looking sort of surprised, but soon runs out of the room. I follow. We walk outside just in time to see Dean pulling out of the motel's parking lot, with Cas in the passenger seat.

"Damnit," says Sam, pulling out his phone and punching in a number quickly. "Dean," he says, holding the phone up to his ear, "you forgot me."

"I'm not turning around," I hear Dean yell.

Sam smirks. "Jerk."

"Bitch," says Dean.

"Assbutt," I say at the exact same time as Cas.

Sam looks at me with an odd expression on his face. I shrug. "Come get me, Dean," he says again.

"Get a cab, Sammy," he says angrily. "I'm not even going to look at that bitch again."

"She's not a-"

"Get a cab!" Dean hangs up.

"I don't think he realizes that I don't have any money on me," Sam tells me.

"You either?"

"Usually I do," says Sam with a shrug. "I didn't think Dean was going to leave me here."

"I have some money you can borrow," I say with a sigh.

"Really?" he smiles. "Thanks."

As I walk back inside to get the money, and he follows, I start pestering him with questions. "So that bunker thing is your home base?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't know hunters had home bases."

"You don't?"

"Nope. I've been on the road for ten years. Never stayed in one place for longer than three weeks."

"Isn't that hard?" he asks. "Not having somewhere to go when you're hurt or tired?"

"I don't get hurt."

"You're a hunter. How do you not get hurt?"

I shrug. "I'm good at my job."

"Yeah, so am I, but I've died before. No hunter can say they haven't been hurt."

"I mean, I've broken my nose a few times, broken a few fingers and toes, and snapped my wrist before, but I don't let that stop me."

"You must be one hell of a fighter."

"Yeah. I have a lot of pent-up anger left over from my childhood. It gives me that extra rush of adrenaline." I hand him a handful of bills. "This should be enough, I think."

"Thanks." He hands me a slip of paper. "If you ever need anything, this is the bunker's number. You know, if you ever get hurt to where you can't walk or something."

"I'll crawl, thanks."

"We have an angel that can heal you, and a place that you can stay if he can't. Just take the damn number."

"Thanks," I say with a sigh. "You wouldn't happen to have any silver bullets on you, would you?"

He frowns. "No. Shapeshifter or werewolf?"

"Werewolf. The hearts were missing."

"Well, good luck. And remember the number."

I nod. "I'm Leah Wittmer, by the way."

He smiles and shakes my hand. "Nice to meet you, Leah."

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><p><strong>Hope you liked it! Read and review, please!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

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><p><span><strong>Four months later<strong>

I struggle to get the slimy body on top of me off. I push it to the side enough to be able to reach my phone. I pull it out and dial the number Sam gave me.

"Who is this?" asks Dean when he answers the phone.

"I need to talk to Sam," I say.

"Who is this?" he asks again.

"Just put him on the damn phone," I growl.

"Okay, okay," he says. "Sam!" I hear him yell, away from the receiver. "Some girl wants to talk to you!"

After about twenty seconds, Sam says, "Leah?"

"Hey," I say. "I know we haven't talked in a few months, but…."

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"Is that the girl Cas brought here?" I hear Dean ask. "Tell her that me and my car hate her."

"Screw you, too," I say loudly. "Anyway, I might have to hold you up on that promise, Sam."

"What promise?"

"Well, I'm…" I take a deep breath, trying to ignore the fading but still sharp pain in my leg. "I'm stuck in a warehouse in Newton, Kansas. It's about an hour and a half away. A shifter just broke my leg."

"Cas isn't here."

I sigh. "This is going to sound really pathetic."

"What is?"

"I have nowhere to stay. This is the first time I've been injured this badly."

"You can stay here, if that's all right with Dean."

"No," I hear Dean say immediately.

"The only reason I stole your car was because it looked the coolest," I say quickly. "Plus, you could hide a dead body in the trunk, and that's always good."

"She can stay here," Dean says.

I grin. "Awesome."

"Where are you?" Sam asks.

"There's a warehouse on South Kansas Avenue here in Newton. It's where the avenue meets the river. You'd know it if you saw it. Anyway, I'm in the basement."

"Alright," Sam says. "Wait there. I'll come and get you."

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><p>Sam has to carry me up a flight of stairs to get back back to the car. He tries not to touch my leg, but I'm uncomfortable with him touching me anywhere. Apparently it shows, because he suddenly asks, "Is there something wrong? You keep fidgeting."<p>

"I just don't like people touching me, that's all."

He nods and opens the door to the backseat of the impala, sets me down inside, and then closes the door. Then he walks around to the other side, gets in, and take off.

"The backseat?" I ask, sort of disgruntled. "Really?"

"Dean made me promise that I wouldn't let you ride in the front."

"Of course he did," I mutter. "So why didn't Cas just come and heal me?"

"Cas is gone."

I gasp. "He's dead?"

Sam looks back at me in surprise. "No. He's ruling Heaven."

"What?"

"Remember about a year ago, when there was that surprise meteor shower?"

"Yeah," I ask, suspiciously. "Why?"

"Those weren't meteors. Those were falling angels. That was the start of the angel war."

"Angel war?" I ask, shocked.

"Yeah. Cas was the leader of the rebellion. His side won, so now he's upstairs, ruling Heaven."

"So it's just you and Dean in the bunker now?"

"He comes to visit sometimes," Sam says sadly. "But yeah, mostly it's just me and Dean."

"Does that drive you nuts?" I ask.

Sam laughs. "Honestly? Yes. He's switched from lots of alcohol and a little coffee to lots of coffee and a little alcohol, and he almost bounces off the walls."

"Did you know that there's a such thing as decaf?"

"Yeah. But I need caffeine, so Dean gets it, too."

"I don't drink coffee, so you won't have to worry about me doing that."

"We've got any type of alcohol you could-"

"I don't drink alcohol," I say shortly.

Sam turns to look at me, a shocked look on his face. "None at all?"

I shake my head.

"But you're a hunter," he says, seemingly still in shock.

"Our jobs has enough side effects as it is. Hangovers and liver failure doesn't need to be one of them."

"We get a lot of our information from bars," Sam says, turning back to looks at the road.

"So do I. I just order non-alcoholic beverages. The bartenders think I'm crazy, but when I tell them that I'm an agent and that I can't be drinking on the job, they understand."

After that, we don't talk, except when Sam asks me what I was hunting. I describe the shifter that was posing as different babysitters and then setting traps for the parents and killing them when they came home.

After about two and a half hours, we pull up to an abandoned factory.

"No way this is the bunker," I say. "It's too awesome in there to be in this craphole."

"You're right." He comes around to the back and points to a round metal door before picking me up. "It's in there."

"Oh, so we're in _Lord of the Rings _now. Okay." He looks at me with a confused look on his face and carries me down to the hole.

When he gets there, it opens for him. Well, actually, Dean opens it from the inside, but it still looks pretty cool, since you can't see him do it.

Sam carries me in and set me down in a chair at the table in the library.

"You know," I say, "you guys are pretty adventurous, considering you're Bilbo Baggins."

Dean snorts. "Just because our door is round doesn't mean we live in a hobbit hole."

"How do you even understand that reference, Dean?" Sam asks, sitting down next to me. "You didn't read the books!"

Dean makes a face. "I saw the movies, man. Everyone's seen the movies."

"I haven't seen the movies," I volunteer. "I only read the books." Sam holds up a hand. I high-five him.

"Son on a bitch," Dean says. "You guys are going to gang up on me and pick on me from now on, aren't you?"

"Only when you're wrong," I say, giving him a sweet smile.

"So, all the time," Sam says. We high-five again.

Dean rolls his eyes. "I called Cas. He said he'll be here in a few hours."

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><p>After an hour of reading a book that Sam handed me after I asked him for something to do, I say, "So what now, since Cas isn't a hunter anymore? There's no one left to look after home base if you both go on a hunt?"<p>

Dean sits down across from me as Sam looks up from his spot next to me. He looks at Dean, who makes a face.

"Actually…" Dean says.

"We were wondering if you'd like to stay here and hold down the fort," Sam asks.

"I'm a hunter," I say. "Not a librarian."

"We'd switch out," Dean says nonchalantly, taking a sip of his beer.

"Yeah, like we'll take turns staying back," Sam says.

I close my eyes so they can't see my tears. I don't usually cry. But they're offering me a home. A sort-of family. They barely even know me and they're offering me things I haven't had since I was nineteen years old.

"That way, two people could be on a case, and they would be able to call back here and get some answers," Sam says. "Like, they'd ask a question, and the person here would research it and get back to them on it."

I smile. "And I can live here?"

"If you want. You can always say no."

"Why the hell would I say no? I haven't had a home since I was nineteen! Of course I'll do it!"

Sam grins.

"Oh my god," I say excitedly. "I would hug you both right now, but I can't stand up, and also my leg feels like it's on fire."

"Cas will be here in three or four hours," Dean says. "Just hang tight."

"Meanwhile," Sam says. "Welcome to the family."

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><p><strong>So glad you guys like this! Read and review, please!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3. I've been lots getting positive feedback from this story, and I'm excited!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Supernatural._**

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><p><span><em>Six months later<em>

We're in the middle of watching _Game of Thrones _season two in the library when Cas appears out of nowhere, right behind Dean, causing him to almost spill his popcorn everywhere.

"Hello, Dean," says Cas.

Dean picks up a few kernels that have escaped from his bowl. "Yeah, hey, buddy." Cas nods to Sam and I and then takes a seat next to Dean, absentmindedly reaching his hand into Dean's bowl and taking out a large handful of popcorn. It's silent for almost a minute before Dean pauses the TV. "Is there something you want to tell us, Cas?" he asks.

Cas tears his eyes away from the screen. "Oh, yes. I will be living here from now on."

Dean coughs, apparently as taken off-guard as Sam and I are. "Will you, now?"

Cas nods seriously. "Yes."

I lean over to Sam. Sam is probably the person I'm most comfortable with in this whole bunker, which is surprising because I have a lot more in common with Dean. I like old cars and rock music. A favorite song of both of us is "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin. But I probably feel more comfortable around Sam because Dean often picks violence over reasoning on hunts, while Sam and I see the value in talking before attacking. "He isn't serious, is he?" I whisper.

Cas whips his head in my direction. "Yes, why would I not be serious?" I shrug.

"What happened to Heaven, Cas?" Sam asks.

"Nothing. My siblings do drive me crazy, though. I am very sick of it. I like it much better down here, with you guys."

"So… who's ruling Heaven?" Dean asks, looking confused.

"Hannah. She has my phone number and the address if she has any questions. I think she has it under control."

"So you're just going to live with us?" Sam asks.

"Yes."

"Did it ever occur to you to ask first?" Dean asks, leaning forward.

Cas considers this. "No."

"Then what makes you think you can live here?" Dean says.

Cas's eyes get wide. "You mean I can't?"

Sam glares at Dean. "No, no, you can live here," Dean says quickly. "Just ask first next time, okay?"

"I don't suppose there will be a next time," Cas says. "Also, I'm going to return to being a hunter."

Dean puts up a hand. "No. Stop it right now. This is too much for me to process at one time. Tell me after this episode is over."

Cas smiles and grabs another handful of popcorn.

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><p><span><em>Four months later<em>

"Okay, so you know my other number, right?" Dean asks, standing in the threshold of the hobbit hole, as I like to call it.

"504-452-0179," I say boredly, reciting it from memory.

"And you know Cas's number?"

"Cas doesn't have a cell phone," I mutter.

"Right," Dean says with a grin. "Just making sure you were paying attention."

"She is," Sam says, looking up from his book.

"Right, I get that," Dean says. "Okay, we're leaving."

Sam smiles sarcastically and raises his hand. "Bye."

I smile and wave at Cas, who's already in the passenger seat in the impala. He waves back. "Be safe," I say. "Call us if you need anything."

"Duh," Dean says with a smile, walking around the Impala and climbing into the front seat after throwing his bag into the trunk. He drives off without another word. I close the hobbit hole.

"Dean's finally gone," Sam says.

"I know," I say.

"Do you know what this means?" he says excitedly, putting his book down onto the table.

"What?" I ask nervously. If Sam is this excited about something, I'm not sure I want to know what that something is.

"We can listen to songs that aren't sung by old, dead guys!"

I breathe a sigh of relief. Nothing weird, thank God. "Oh, come on, Sam," I say with a smile. "His music's not that bad!"

"It is when you've had to listen to it all day!"

"I live here, too," I remind him. "It doesn't bother me that much."

"You haven't heard it almost every day for the past ten years!"

I consider this. "Yeah, that's true," I finally say.

Sam runs over to the radio and turns up the volume. Peppy music that's definitely from the 1950s starts playing.

"Sam!" I call over the music. "This is sung by old, dead people, too!"

"Yeah, but it's different!" he shouts.

"Not really!" I yell back.

"Come on, Leah!" he shouts back. "Just dance!"

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><p>Ten minutes later, Sam and I are still dancing when the music suddenly switches off. We both freeze and look up at the same time to see Castiel standing there, looking lost.<p>

"Am I…. interrupting something?" he asks, glancing between Sam and me with a confused look on his face.

"No!" I say, straightening my hair quickly. "We were just… having a stress-relieving session." Sam snorts.

"Dean forgot his gun," Cas says quickly, looking sort of embarrassed.

"Right," Sam says. "I'll get it." He hurries away.

"Bing Crosby?" Cas asks me. "Really?"

"How do you know who that is?" I ask, surprised.

"Dean warned me about him," Cas says. "He said that I should stick to the 70s and 80s."

"Ah, don't listen to Dean," I say, as Sam comes back into the room with Dean's gun. "I have a feeling you'd like dubstep, Cas."

He tilts his head, confused. "I do not know what this 'dubstep' is. Please explain it."

"Ask Dean what it is, Cas," says Sam. "I'm sure he'd love to tell you." Cas nods and then disappears.

"Dean's going to kill him for asking about that, you know," I say quietly.

"Nah," says Sam. "He'll just get really, really mad at us and then tell Cas not to listen to us ever again."

"Oh, well," I say. "That's too bad."

Sam's finger hovers over the play button on the stereo. "Shall we?" he says with a grin.

I smile back. "We shall."

He hits the button and the music resumes.

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><p><strong>Remember to review, please!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! I've been really busy, but here's chapter 4. I hope you like it. Be prepared for a big plot twist!**

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><p><span><strong>Two days later<strong>

I'm passing the door to the bunker when someone on the outside knocks. Suspicious, I stop walking. "Sam?" I ask cautiously.

"Yeah?" he asks, peeking out of the kitchen.

"Someone just knocked on the door."

He frowns and walks over to me by the door, pulling a pistol out of his belt. He presses it to the door before opening it.

I lean around Sam to see who it is. A middle-aged man stands outside. He's average looking, with brown eyes and a receding hairline. Sam tilts his head. "Can I help you?" he says carefully.

"Yes," the man says, pulling something out of his pocket. Sam silently cocks his gun. "I was just walking down the street, and I noticed this on the ground. Is it yours?" I walk around Sam to see that the man is holding out a hundred dollar bill.

"Um… no," Sam say, dropping his gun.

"Oh." The man sounds kind of disappointed. He stuff the bill back in his pocket. "I wonder whose it is, then."

"Well, I hope you find them," Sam say awkwardly.

The man reaches out and lays a hand on each of our shoulders. "Sorry for bothering you. You two have a very good night." He winks at Sam.

"Can I ask your name, sir?" I ask.

The man smiles slightly. "Eros," he says, before walking away.

"Eros…" I frown. I know that name from somewhere-

Sam suddenly inhales deeply. I look over at him. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"I didn't realize…." he frowns and turns away.

"Hey!" I grab his shoulder and spin him around. "What's wrong- oh, my…." Suddenly Sam is like the hottest boy I've ever seen. My brain just seems to stop working. "Eros…" I say again, but that's the last thought I can properly think.

"What's wrong?" I ask again, trying not to stare at him but failing utterly.

Apparently he's feeling the same thing I'm feeling, because he's staring at me, too. What is it with us? "You're… you're really beautiful," he says.

"No." I frown and wave my head in front of his face. "Snap out of it."

"No," he insists. "You really are."

"What is happening?" I ask to anyone in general.

"I don't know," Sam says.

Then he kisses me.

Everything else is a blur.

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><p>When I wake up, I'm wrapped in nothing but a sheet. I sit up slowly, trying to figure out where I am, when I notice Sam next to me. This is <em>not <em>happening. It can't be. I scream.

He bolts up. "What's happening?" Then he sees me. His eyebrows raise, then furrow. "Did we…"

"I think so," I whisper. "What happened?"

"I don't know," he says. "The last thing I remember is coming out of the kitchen because you said there was someone at the door."

"Yeah, it was this man named Eros," I say. "Do you think he did this?"

"Eros?" Sam sounds worried. "Did he, uh, happen to touch both of us?"

I frown. "Yeah, actually."

"_Crap._"

"What?" I ask, confused. "What's wrong now?"

"It wasn't a man. It was a cupid."

"A cupid? How do you know?" I ask angrily.

"Eros is the Greek name of the Roman god of love, Cupid. Cupids are actually angels. Cherubim. They get their orders from Heaven."

"What kind of orders?" I ask, even though I really don't want to know.

"Well, they have to go around and touch the people that are..." he trails off.

"People that are what?" I demand.

"People that are destined to be together."

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><p><strong>Review if this shocked you, and if it didn't, review anyway!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Supernatural.**_

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><p>For the next two days, I don't say a single word to Sam. I told him right out that I'm not anyone's soulmate, and that one night meant nothing to me, and that there wouldn't be another night. He didn't seem to mind. It's hard to tell, but think he's dealt with cupids before.<p>

At six o'clock two days later, I'm sitting at the table reading a book about Hindu deities when suddenly Cas appears.

"Hello, Leah," he says.

I look up and smile weakly. "Hey."

"Hey, Cas," Sam says, coming out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee. He studiously avoids looking at me. "What are you doing here?"

Cas narrows his eyes and turns his gaze back to me. "Seriously, guys?" he asks, his eyes flicking between Sam and I. "Dean and I have only been gone for a few days!"

I try not to blush. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you do," Cas says.

"How did you know?" Sam asks. I glare at him.

"She was a virgin before, and now she is not," Cas says. "I am an angel. I can tell these things."

Sam almost chokes on his coffee. "Wait, what?"

"Not talking about that," I say sharply. "Just because I'm not a virgin anymore doesn't mean I slept with Sam!"

"Well, unless you had sex with a random stranger while on a walk, the only possibility is Sam."

Sam coughs. "Virgin?"

"I said I'm not going to talk about it!" I say through gritted teeth.

"I did not expect this out of you, Sam. Or you, Leah."

"It was a cupid," I say angrily. "I wouldn't have done it otherwise."

"Ah," Cas says, taking a seat next to me. "My unpleasant little brothers that love to touch people. Of course it's them."

"Why are you here, Cas?" Sam asks.

"Dean wanted me to ask you if you had a stake made of oak that we could borrow."

"Uh, yeah. Let me grab it." Sam walks down the hallway to the weapons room and disappears inside.

"So…" Castiel says. "You do not seem very happy about this."

"Just shut up," I say tiredly, twirling a strand of hair around my finger. "I don't want to talk about it. Not now, not ever." From behind me, I hear Sam come back into the room. He drops the stake in front of Cas.

"Thank you," Cas says. He leans forward. "Now, tell me, Leah. What are you going to name it?"

I freeze. My blood runs cold. "_What _did you just say?"

"I assume you know what I mean."

I look up at Sam in horror. He stands frozen, his eyes wide with shock. "No," I whisper.

Castiel nods. "I'm an angel. As I said, I can tell these things. So what are you going to name it?"

"No," I say again, this time a little louder. "This can't be happening."

"Yes, it can," Cas says. "Why don't you believe me?"

"It was only one time!" I shriek, standing up and pushing my chair away from the table. "One time!"

"Well, I should probably leave you two to sort this out," Cas says.

"Don't tell Dean!" Sam and I say at the exact same time.

Cas nods once, then disappears.

Sam looks at me. "I-"

"Shut up," I say.

"But-"

"My life has just been ruined!" I scream. "Go into the other room and count your blessings that I'm not beating the crap out of you right now!"

He grimaces. "Okay."

"You are so lucky I can't drown myself in a shower," I groan, before stomping off.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Supernatural.**_

* * *

><p>I haven't come out of my room for two days. I'm hungry, but I think that maybe if I don't eat, this thing growing inside me will die from malnourishment.<p>

I was never a supporter of abortions. Where I grew up, it was a major sin. But now I see why some women don't want to deal with it. I'm stuck with a baby I don't want for the rest of my life now.

I know I'll end up loving it, but all I can think about is how my life is going to go downhill. I'll have to give up the life. I won't be able to hunt. I won't be able to go into bars, order non-alcoholic drinks, gamble, and blatantly refuse men who try to flirt with me.

I curl up on my bed and sigh. My parents would disown me if they knew what I did. I would be shunned. There is no greater sin to them.

Of course, if it was up to them, I would've been married as soon as I was of legal age, so I would have probably had children by now anyways.

I hear a knock on my door. "I'm busy!" I yell.

"Doing what?" Sam asks.

"Sulking and cursing my luck."

He opens the door. "You and Dean are, like, the same person."

I frown. "Dean's a boy. I'm a woman. He's… promiscuous. I'm not."

"He sulks a lot." Sam sits down on my floor. "Your personalities are the same."

"I didn't invite you in," I say, clutching a pillow to my chest and leaning back against my headboard.

He shrugs. "This is my bunker."

I shrug back. "You gave me this room and said it was mine."

"We need to talk," Sam says.

"Now, there's where I'm wrong," I say. "I'm a _lot_ like Dean. I don't like whining about my problems to other people."

"You can't just keep all this stuff in," he insists.

"Watch me!"

"We're going to talk about this. We have to."

"I don't want to."

"Too bad. Now, tell me why this so horrible."

I snort. "Well, let's see. Number one: I'll never be able to hunt again. Two, in five months I'm going to be nauseous and not in control of what my body feels. And three, _there is a human growing inside me that I did not sign up for._"

"Yeah, but babies are cute."

I smile sarcastically. "Well, that's great. Maybe I'll just leave it with you and then take off, and you'll never hear from me again. _Babies are cute. _I grew up with five younger brothers and sisters. Babies aren't cute to me."

"Why are you so mad at me?" he asks defensively. "It's not my fault."

"I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at that damn cupid. And I'm mad at myself."

"Why are you mad at yourself?"

"Because I should have had more self-control."

"I don't think you understand how powerful cupids are," he says.

I snort. "Doesn't matter. I should have been able to control myself."

"No, you shouldn't have. Let me tell you a story."

"About what?"

"One time, Dean and I were working this case where this couple had literally eaten each other."

"Ew." I make a face. "Okay, that's disgusting."

"But the thing is, they didn't want to. It just sort of happened."

"How do you just 'sort of happen' to eat somebody?" I ask, disgusted.

"The girl was a virgin. The date she had just went on was her first date in a long time. The guy… well, I don't know about the guy, but he must've been pretty lonely. Anyway, the cupid got to them both and made their excitement from the date get ramped up to extremes. So they were kissing, and then it just sort of escalated."

"So they ate each other?"

"Yep. It was really gross."

"So we got off easy, then?"

"Yeah. Cupids can get a lot worse."

After a few seconds of awkward silence, I say, "You know, I was raised to believe that having premarital sex meant that you were going to hell."

"How were you raised?"

"Sorry. You have to reach friendship level infinity to unlock my sad yet true backstory."

"Please?" He looks at me with the puppy eyes he usually does to Dean to let him drive the Impala. I've got to admit, he's kind of cute. Okay, really cute.

"You can't tell anyone."

"I won't."

"Not even Dean."

"Dean was included in the anyone."

"I…" I hesitate. I haven't told anyone this since I left. "I was Amish."

* * *

><p><strong>Hoped you enjoy this- and sorry about another plot twist! Review, please! Constructive criticism is welcome!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

* * *

><p>"You, Amish?" Sam laughs a little.<p>

"I'm not kidding. I was Amish."

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

"Then how are you even here?"

"I lived in Holmes County, Ohio, and almost half the residents are Amish. My community did this thing, and when you were eighteen or so, you went outside the community and lived there for a little while."

"And did what?"

"Well, they were basically offering you a choice. Go and see the real world, and if you want to stay in it, than you can. Or you can come back and stay in the lifestyle."

"So you stayed in the real world?"

I laugh bitterly. "I wasn't planning to. I was fine with all the rules. No drinking. No electronics. No smoking. No drugs. No gambling. No premarital sex. I had a crush on the boy who lived down the road from me, and our parents were discussing marriage. I was going to return and settle down and get married and have children, just like I had always wanted."

"Your parents were discussing marriage?" Sam sounds shocked.

I shrug nonchalantly. "You get married young there."

"But you didn't go."

"During my time away, I lived with some of the other kids from our communities. Three boys and two other girls. They were- they were crazy. They drank every night and smoked pot and slept together… I hated living with them. I was planning to return almost immediately, and I made sure they knew it. They convinced me to go on a camping trip to celebrate me choosing."

"Camping?" Sam frowns. "Camping always leads to bad things."

"That night, they were all in their tents, sleeping, and I was sitting beside the fire we had made because I was cold. And all of a sudden, something big just swept me up."

"What was it?"

"Wendigo. But I didn't know it. As it was dragging my back to its layer, I remember grabbing the flint and steel because it was dark, and I needed something on my that would keep me going. Something that gave me a little hope."

"So it took you back to its layer?"

"My roommates, too. I watched them die slowly for days. It ate them. I managed to get my hands untied, but I waited until I saw it leave so I could know how to get out. When it came back and came over to me to start eating me, I lit it on fire."

"You lit it on fire? But you didn't have any training or anything!"

"I didn't know it would kill the the thing, but it did. And then I got out, and I ran."

"And you didn't go home?"

"No. I went back to our apartment, and I took all the money all of us had, and some food, and sold everything else. Then I took our car and set out. I basically thought 'Hey, I've already committed an atrocity and killed something. Why not kill other things and start saving people.' I've met some other hunters along the way that have helped me and given me tips and pointers."

"So that's why you're a virgin and you don't drink?"

"I gamble to make money," I say with a sigh. "I was a virgin. It came in handy whenever I needed to do rituals that required the blood of a virgin. And now that I've broke that, too, I guess a drink wouldn't hurt."

"Oh, no. You are not getting drunk on my hands."

I frown. "Why not?"

"Because you might go crazy and beat the crap out of me."

I shrug. "Are you scared?"

"Of you? Yes. The first time you saw me, you broke my nose. Nice kick, by the way. I never complimented you on that."

"Thanks. But I'm going to need a drink eventually."

"When Dean and Cas get back. That way, they can hold you back if you decide to go nuts on me."

I sigh. "What am I going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asks.

"I can't let other people know that I've slept with someone before I'm married!" I practically screech. "Especially your brother and the angel!"

Sam snorts. "Believe me, Cas doesn't care. Neither does Dean. Most of his personality is drinking, gambling, and premarital sex. That, and annoying the hell out of me."

"But still…" I say. "This is ingrained in my system. I can't change my mindset."

"Dean might get mad about a baby, though."

"Really?" I ask. "He doesn't strike me as someone who doesn't like children."

"Yeah. Dean had an adopted son once, and that didn't work out too well."

"What?" I ask, stunned. "Dean had a son?"

"It's a long story," Sam says. "Basically, the kid's mom almost died because of Dean, so he got Cas to take him out of their memories, and Dean told me that if I ever mentioned them to him again he'd kill me. So yeah, I don't think that Dean would like having a baby in the bunker."

"I could put it up for adoption," I say quietly.

"No," Sam says. "No matter how much I don't want this to be true, that's my baby, and demons _will_ find it and use it to hurt me. We have to keep it here, in the bunker, where it's safe."

"Maybe…" I suddenly get an idea. I don't like it, but it'll do. "I'll leave once I start showing and lay low. I'll come back a few months later with a baby, and I'll say I found it on a hunt. We'll both sort of adopt it."

Sam sighs. "I feel really bad about raising a child like that."

"So do I."

"But that's a good plan."

"So we're doing it?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says sadly. "I guess."

"When should I leave?" I ask.

"Whenever you want."

"I'll leave in three months, I guess. Right before I start showing."

"Okay. But why are you going to leave?"

I think for a few seconds. "If I'm going to have a baby, I shouldn't be hunting. I don't want to live this way anymore anyway. I want to have a normal life with a steady job and a permanent home."

Sam smiles sadly. "You do already."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Seven Months Later (four months after Leah leaves the bunker)<strong>

I'm folding the blanket on the sofa when the doorbell rings. Blanket still in hand, I walk into the foyer to answer it.

I look through the peephole- and let out a shocked gasp. Holding the blanket to my stomach so it hides my stomach, I unlock the door and swing it open. "Hi, Dean," I say resignedly.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Leah?" he asks with eyebrows arched, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Sam and I are working our problems out," I lie blatantly.

"Really? That's all?" He steps over the threshold into the house. "Hhm. Nice place, by the way."

"It's my friend's house. I help pay the rent."

"So you got a job, then? After only four months on your own?" he asks, sitting down on the couch after we make our way back into the living room.

"Yeah." I reply, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch. I'm still hugging the blanket to my stomach. "I'm a receptionist at a medical clinic in town."

He sighs. "It's too bad you won't be working there much longer."

"Oh, yeah? And why is that?"

"Oh, I don't know," he says casually. "Maybe because a cupid touched you and Sam, you two did the do, and now you're pregnant with his child?" he adds, raising his voice.

I flinch and look away. "Who told you?"

He coughs. "An undisclosed informant." I glare at him. "Okay, okay. It was Cas. He accidentally let it slip."

I groan. "Of course he did. Does Sam know that you know?"

"Yeah. He tried to stop me from coming here. I had to knock him out."

"You hurt him?" I exclaim angrily.

He dismisses it with a wave of his hand. "He's sleeping now. He doesn't feel the pain."

"So why did you drive out here?" I ask.

"I wanted to know if this pregnancy was why you moved out of the bunker."

"Yeah. I was gonna move back once the baby was born, and say that I found it on a hunt and sort of adopted it, because Sam thought you would kick me out once I knew you were pregnant."

He frowns. "Why would I do that?"

I shrug. "I don't know. Sam said you had a son once and that you didn't like to be reminded of him. He thought you wouldn't like the baby because of that, and I believed him."

"I wouldn't be mad over that," Dean says with a sigh. "So you never really wanted to quit the life?"

I smile. "Nope."

He smirks. "How surprised would Sam be if I brought you back to the bunker with me?"

I grin. "Very."

"Then what are you waiting for? Go pack your stuff. Unless you want to stay here."

I shake my head. "I miss living in the bunker with you guys. I miss the life."

"Then go." He makes a shooing motion with his hands. "Call your friend and tell her that you're leaving."

I hop up from my seat excitedly. "So you're really okay with having a child in that bunker?"

"Of course. Besides, I like babies."

I start to run to my room, but stop in the doorframe. "Oh, and did you seriously just say that Sam and I 'did the do?'"

He grins. "Maybe."

"So immature," I say with a shake of my head, before darting to my room to pack my stuff.

* * *

><p>After working out something with my friend and packing up all my clothes and stuff, I meet Dean back in the living room.<p>

He gives me a thumbs up and a grin. "Uncle Dean is ready," he says. "Let's go."

I lock the door behind me and turn around to see the Impala parked in the driveway. Man, do I love that car. "Can I sit in the front this time?" I ask hopefully, crossing my fingers.

Dean bites his lip in hesitation, but finally he nods. "Just this once, though," he adds, raising one finger.

I grin and hop into the front seat. Once we pull out into the driveway, I ask, "So, how've you been?"

"Good. We've worked a few more cases since you left."

"And how's Cas been?"

"Oh, you know. Same old, same old," he replies. "Still wearing that damn trenchcoat."

"Good."

He glances down at my stomach. "So, uh, what are you gonna name it?"

"Sam and I have talked about it," I say, staring out the window. "If it had been a boy, we were gonna call him Dean Robert."

Dean smiles a little. "After me and Bobby."

"Yeah. If it was a girl, I suggested Mary, because I know that was your mom's name. But Sam said that he didn't want to use that name."

"Why not?" Dean asks gruffly.

"He said that if you ever had a daughter, you'd want her to be named Mary. So we didn't use Mary." Dean smiles. "And since I found out that it's a girl two weeks ago, we've decided that her name is going to be Joanna Beth."

The car jerks to the left as Dean whips his head around to stare at me, ignoring the empty highway in front of us. "Joanna Beth?" he exclaims, struggling to get back in the right lane. "As in Jo Harvelle?"

"Yes," I say. "She saved my life once, you know."

"Yeah," he says brusquely. "Sam told me the whole story."

"Yes, well. She saved Sam, too. He told me that she died protecting you. So why not pay her homage? Besides, it's a pretty name."

"Yeah, it is." Dean sighs. "It's nice to finally hear them together." He smiles sadly; I can see pain in his green eyes. "Joanna Beth Winchester."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

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><p><strong><span>Two months later<span>**

Sam and I finish dinner earlier than we expect. Dean and Cas are due back in about two days. I'm leaning down to put the box of leftovers into the fridge when my water breaks.

"Sam!" I squeak.

"Yeah?" he asks, poking his head into the room.

"You need to take me to the hospital," I say quickly.

"Why?" Then he looks at my face, which I'm sure has an expression of fright and panic on it. "Oh," he says. "I'll call Dean and tell him where we're going."

I nod. "Hurry up."

* * *

><p>After a thirty second phone call with Dean, Sam hurries me to the car.<p>

As he's driving to the Smith County Memorial Hospital in the most urban part of Lebanon, I grit my teeth and say, "You can't be in there."

"What?" he asks, keeping his eyes on the road.

"You can't be in there. After, but not during, okay?"

"Why not?" he asks indignantly.

"This is going to sound stupid, but in my Amish community the father didn't see the child until after it was born."

"Neither of us are Amish," Sam points out.

"But I used to be," I say angrily. "And that's how it goes. Do you really want to get on my nerves right now? Because I'm pretty sure I could punch a hole right through you."

"No, ma'am" says Sam nervously. "Whatever you say goes."

* * *

><p><span><strong>One hour later<strong>

"Shouldn't your husband be here, sweetie?" the nurse assigned to me asks. She's a little elderly lady named Henrietta, with dark brown skin and frizzy white hair, and she's as sweet as sugar.

I stare at her. "I'm not married."

She cringes. "My mistake, deary. I'm sorry."

"That's okay," I say, because it's hard to stay mad at such a cute old person. "My…" what do I even call Sam? Friend? That seems like an understatement. Boyfriend? I've specifically stated that I don't ever want to date or get married. But I guess I'll call him that anyway. "My boyfriend's in the waiting room, where I told him to stay."

"Why isn't he in here?" Henrietta asks.

"Because I don't want him to be. He can come in after. You probably think I'm crazy for making him wait, but..."

"I've been a nurse for fifty years, sweetie," she says. "There ain't nothing I haven't seen."

"Can you do me a favor and get him for me after?" I ask.

"Sure, darling," she says. "What's he look like?"

"His name is Sam. He's tall, about 6'4", and he's got brown hair. He's wearing a dark blue plaid shirt, jeans, and a jacket."

"I'll make sure to get him."

"How long to I have to stay here after?"

"Well, that depends on the baby. Usually it's two days."

"Two days?" I groan. "That's, like, forever!"

"If you had her prematurely," the nurse says, "you'd be here for as long it takes her to recover, which could be a long time. You'd better be grateful angels are watching over her."

* * *

><p><span><strong>Four hours later<strong>

"I found him, sweetie," the nurse says, pulling Sam into the room. She leans in close to me. "You've got yourself a looker," she adds, before leaving. I giggle, a little tipsy from the painkillers they gave me after Jo had already been born.

"Where is she?" Sam asks, sitting down in the chair beside my bed.

"I don't know," I say groggily. I'm really tired. "I think they took her to give her a bath and that kind of stuff. They should be back with her any minute."

Sure enough, right then, Henrietta comes back into the room carrying a bundle, and places Jo into my arms. I look down at her.

She's so beautiful, I forget how to breathe for a few seconds.

She has Sam's hazel eyes and soft, blond hair like mine on her head already. Her lips look like mine, too, but I can tell her nose is from Sam's side of the family, because it looks just like his mother's, from the pictures I've seen.

Henrietta lays down some papers on the beside table. "You need to fill these out by the time you leave," she says, before leaving again.

Sam goes to grab them, but I stop him. "I'll fill them out," I say, still looking at Jo. "I have better handwriting."

He laughs. "Okay."

I look up at him. "Do you want to hold her?"

He smiles. "Of course."

* * *

><p>When Henrietta comes back to take Jo to wherever they put the infants for the night, her eyes happen to fall onto the piece of paper that I have just finished filling out.<p>

"Joanna Beth Winchester," she says softly. "What a beautiful name."

"Thank you," Sam and I say at the exact same time.

Sam hands her Jo, and then she leaves.

"You can go back to the bunker, you know," I say tiredly.

"Are you crazy?" he says lightly. "I'm not going back home and leaving you here!"

"Okay, then." I yawn. "I'm going to be here for two days."

"Dean and Cas get home in two days," he says. "Perfect timing."

"Yes," I yawn again. "Perfect."

"Dean's so excited to be an uncle," he says, leaning back in his chair. "I was talking to him on the phone in the waiting room."

"What did he say?" I ask.

"He says he can't wait to get her addicted to Led Zeppelin."

"She's a baby, for Heaven's sake."

Sam laughs. "Cas says the same thing. Apparently, he just asked now Dean what dubstep is."

"Really?" I laugh.

"While I was on the phone with him," Sam says. "Dean is so mad at us."

"What did he tell Cas?" I ask, trying to keep my eyelids open.

"Not to listen to us ever again," Sam says. "Just like you predicted."

"I knew it," I saw victoriously.

"Yeah. But they're both really happy about Jo."

"Good. We'll be an even bigger family than we were before," I say.

Before Sam can say anything else, I fall asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry it's short, but I just finished exams, and this was written in between seven hours on tumblr (because that's what I'm planning doing for the next three weeks.) I'll have time to write more then, and this story will actually be finished, since I've planned for it to have fourteen chapters. Remember, review and favorite/follow!**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.<strong>

* * *

><p><span><strong>Two days later<strong>

Sam finishes signing the release papers before we walk out of the hospital. I look around, expecting to see one of the Men of Letters' cars, but I can't find it anywhere. Instead, I see the Impala.

"Dean and Cas are here to pick us up?" I ask with a smile.

"No," Sam says, opening the back door. "They're back at the bunker."

I look into the car to see a baby seat. "Where the hell is this from?" I ask, confused. "We never bought this."

Sam grins. "Cas and Dean came back with it. I think Cas made them with his angel mojo or whatever, because I couldn't find a maker's mark or a brand or anything."

I smile and buckle Jo into the seat, then close the door. "I can sit in the front, right?"

Sam rolls his eyes. "You only have to ask that when Dean's driving."

I laugh and hop into the front seat.

* * *

><p>As I hold Jo in my arms, Sam pushes the hobbit hole open. We both walk inside to find it empty. "What the hell?" Sam says, frowning as he walks into the war room. "I called Dean and he said they were here."<p>

All of a sudden Dean runs into the library. "I'm here!" he shouts excitedly, out of breath. "I just picked the worst possible time to go to the bathroom."

I laugh. "Where's Cas?"

"Here," he says from behind us. "Hannah called, and you were not here yet, so I thought I would answer it."

Dean walks up to me and looks at her. "Can I hold her?" he asks.

"Sure." I tap her nose lightly with a finger. "Jo, this is your uncle Dean."

She opens her eyes just as Dean picks her up. "She's got mom's nose," he notes, smiling down at her and bopping her on the nose lightly with his index finger.

Sam smiles. "Yeah, she does."


	11. Chapter 11

Exactly Six months later

I'm walking into my bedroom to wake Jo up from her nap when I see the man.

"Excuse me?" I ask, rushing toward the crib. "Who are you?"

The man grins. He's about 5'8", dressed in a slim, tailored black suit. "Just a family friend of the Winchesters," he says in a drawling English accent.

"Well, I don't know you," I say, inching closer to the crib.

He leans down and sticks one of his hands into the crib. Jo giggles and grabs his fingers. "What a fine specimen of the endangered moose species. Just like her father, really."

"Don't touch her," I say angrily, pushing him away. He stumbles back and doubles over from my shove. When he looks up at me, his eyes are red. _Demon,_ I think, my heart skipping a beat. I grab Jo and run.

"Sam!" I scream as I run down the hall, clutching her to my chest. "Dean!"

"What's wrong?" Dean says, rushing out of the kitchen.

I stop running. "There was a demon in the bedroom, leaning over her crib!"

"She's six months old today?" Dean says, sounding scared.

I frown. "Yeah. Why?"

He doesn't answer. Instead, he turns and take off running. "Sam!" he yells. I follow. Cas joins us when we run past him.

Sam nearly runs into Dean coming out of his room. "What?"

"Demon. Crib. Azazel?" Dean says breathlessly.

Azazel? I think, confused.

"Azazel is the demon that killed their mother," Cas whispers to me. "He was leaning over Sam's crib on his six-month birthday when Mary walked in on him. So he killed her."

"Leah, did he have yellow eyes?" Sam asks me.

"No," I say, flustered. "Red, like a crossroads demon."

Sam sighs, apparently relieved. "Not Azazel."

"Thank God," says Dean.

"Hello, boys," says the man behind them in a spiffy British accent.

The both turn quickly. "Crowley," Dean growls.

"Hello, Squirrel." Crowley nods to Sam. "Moose."

"What are you doing here?" Sam asks.

"I've not finished with my introductions yet." He turns to Cas. "Castiel. How have you been?"

Cas glares at him and says nothing, so Crowley turns to me.

"Hello, small woman who can shove surprisingly hard." He grins and wiggles his fingers at Jo. She giggles. "And hello there, baby moose!"

"Why are you here, Crowley?" Sam asks, sounding extremely pissed off.

"I'm so lost," I say quietly.

"Crowley is a demon that sometimes helps them on hunts involving his enemies," Cas tells me. "He seems charming at first, but in reality, he's an assbutt."

"I wanted to offer my congratulations on the birth of your daughter! She really takes after you. Why, I can almost see her little moose horns!"

"You're six months late," Cas notes quietly.

"How did you even get in here?" asks Dean. "This place is warded against demons."

"Yes, thank you for stating the obvious. But I must say, your wards getting a bit weak. When I was here I had just enough power to adjust them so they would let me in, even if they prohibit other demons from entering. But if they let the king of Hell through, then you're really not safe at all, are you?"

"You're the king of Hell?" I yelp.

He chuckles. "Yes. I know, I don't look it. But I can be exquisitely evil when I want to. I'm nice and trustworthy on days that don't end in y."

"Why are you here?" Sam asks again.

"As I said before, to offer my congratulations. Also, to give you this." He throws something at Sam. When he holds it up, I can see it's a baby-sized plaid onesie.

He steps up to me and waves his hand at Jo. She smiles and raises her hand. I step away from him.

"Well, would you look at that," Crowley says, sounding amused. "The little bugger likes me. Here's to it starting a family tradition." And then he's gone, vanished into thin air.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Four months later**_

I'm humming Led Zeppelin and finishing up on changing Jo's diaper when Sam walks in. He wrinkles his nose at the smell, but otherwise shows no signs that he is affected by it at all.

"So, we found a new case," he says, leaning against the wall.

"I'm a researcher this time?" I ask, picking Jo up and balancing her on my hip.

"Actually, I convinced Dean to let us two do the fieldwork for this one."

"Really?" I frown. "Why?"

"Well, the case is in Holmes County," he says, holding out a piece of paper.

"That's where I grew up!" I say excitedly, handing Jo to him hurriedly and snatching the paper from him. "Amish man found dismembered in horse barn…" I mutter. "It's not my dad, is it?"

Sam shakes his head. "No. It's Isaac Lehman, according to the report. He was found in the barn of your parent's neighbors."

"He used to live a few streets away from us!" I shriek. "Oh, this is so exciting!"

"That he's dead?" Sam asks with a confused frown.

"No, that I may get to see my parents again!"

"I was thinking that you could be an agent who just had a baby, and since we're only interviewing people, you got permission to bring her along."

"So we're both going to meet them?" I ask, almost ready to faint (if I was the fainting type).

"Yeah."

"Oh, my God, Sam," I say, hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much!"

* * *

><p>"So, the plan," Sam says as we drive past the <em>Welcome to Holmes County <em>sign. I've never been in the county inside a car before. Dean let us borrow the Impala, telling us the usual threats not to damage her or he'll kill us.

"I know, we've been over it a million times," I say anxiously, glancing back at Jo in her car seat.

"I go in and say, 'forgive my partner, she just had a new baby and she had to bring her to work today.' and then you come in with Jo."

"Yes," I say. "Take a left here."

He takes a left and pulls into the long driveway that leads to my old house. When he parks, he turns the car off and starts to get out, but I grab his arm. "My parents might not like you," I say.

"Then don't even mention that I'm Jo's father." He sighs. "We should draw a devil's trap."

"Why?" I ask, getting out of the car and grabbing Jo. "My parents aren't possessed."

"You don't know that," Sam points out.

"Fine," I say, glaring at him. "Where do you want it?"

He thinks for a few seconds, and then says, "Do they have a welcome mat?"

* * *

><p>"Don't mention you're FBI unless you have to," I say. "They'll let you in anyway."<p>

He frowns. "Why not?"

"Because they like to brag. If I say I'm an FBI agent, then they'll tell someone. And that someone will tell someone. And pretty soon everyone thinks I'm an agent, which is technically a federal crime."

"Crime? You're worried about committing a crime?"

"My criminal record is relatively clean. On petty theft and not paying parking tickets. Not like you or Dean, who apparently love to rack up murder charges in your spare time." He shrugs. "And remember, their names are Jacob and Ruth Wittmer."

He nods and knocks on the door. I stay a little ways away. The door opens and Sam goes inside without saying a word. I hear him introduce himself as Agent Perry, say that we're here to investigate the death and the line we practiced as they lead him into the living room, and then I walk in. I walk the way to the den where they are, and then step through the threshold.

The effect is instantaneous.

All the blood drains out of my father's face. He puts a hand over his heart and leans on the arm of the sofa. My mom completely freezes, midway through shaking Sam's hand. I know I look at lot different now than I did when I left, but a mother never forgets the face of her child.

"Leah?" she whispers faintly.

I had all kinds of plans for what I was going to say, but I can't remember them now. So instead, I just smile. "Hi," I say, sounding super lame.

"Oh, my goodness," she says, sitting down on the couch.

My father rushes forward and starts to hug me, but stops when he sees Jo. "Who's this?" he asks.

I smile and reach my hand up to ruffle Jo's hair. "This is my daughter, Joanna Beth."

He smiles and sticks his finger at her. She gives him a baby tooth grin and grabs his finger. He slowly picks her up- and immediately hands her to Sam.

Sam look surprised, but he just takes her and positions her to where he's comfortable.

My dad, meanwhile, wraps his arms around my waist and squeezes me tightly. "I thought I would never see you again," he whispers into my ear. I nod and try not to let tears form in my eyes.

My mother, meanwhile, takes Jo from Sam and starts talking to her in that voice I can remember her using on my siblings when they were babies. Sort of condescending, but really cute. Sam just stands there awkwardly, gazing around and taking in the scene.

As soon as my dad lets go of me, my mom hands the baby back to Sam and wraps her arms around me. "You've grown at least three inches," she says loudly, over what I assume are tears. "You're so big now!"

"Ah, look at her, Ruth," my dad says fondly. "She's tiny! Her partner's at least a foot taller than her."

Sam coughs, trying not to laugh.

"And a baby!" She hugs me again and pats my hair. "A baby! What's her full name?"

"Joanna Beth Winchester."

"Oh, so you've gotten married!" my mother says excitedly, taking the baby from Sam again. "How wonderful!"

"What?" I say instantly. Sam look at me, alarmed.

"Well, usually when those hooligans have babies without being married first," my dad says, as if I haven't lived in the United States for the past ten years, "the babies' last names are hyphenated."

"Um…" I glance at Sam and make an 'I'm sorry' face. "Yep! I got married about a year and a half ago." He gives me a supreme bitchface. I cringe slightly, but thankfully neither of my parents are looking at him.

"Well, sit down!" my father says. "Tell us how you've been!"

"I'll go pour us some coffee," my mother says eagerly, jumping up and practically running into the kitchen, despite her being almost sixty.

I take Jo from Sam and sit down in the plush armchair that used to be my favorite place to read when I was a kid, cradling her in my arms. Sam sits in the one opposite, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

My dad turns to him. "So, do you know Leah's husband, since you work with her?"

Sam coughs and looks at me. "Yes, sir."

"What's he like?"

"Um… I don't really know him that well. I'm not really qualified to answer that question." He smiles slightly at me.

I smile back, trying to convey a death glare subtle enough for my dad not to notice.

"What's he like then, Leah?" my dad asks me as my mom comes back in, carrying a tray with four cups on it. She sets it down on the coffee table and sits down next to my father. "What's his name?" She passe me a cup of coffee. I nod my thanks and take a long sip.

"His name is Sam."

"What does he look like?" my mom asks, leaning towards me slightly.

"He's tall, with brown hair and brown eyes." I gesture to Sam. "Kind of like Perry here, except much cuter."

"Well, then he must be a real cutie!" my mom says in that motherly tone again.

Sam smiles weakly. "May I use your restroom?" he asks. "I don't want to intrude on a family moment."

"Sure, son," my dad says. He calls everyone son. Even me, when I was a kid. "The restroom's down that hallway on the left."

Sam nods politely and leaves.

"So what does Sam do for a living?"

"He's a… he's an FBI head hunter."

"And what's that?" my mom asks. "Is that what you do, since you're here to investigate poor Isaac's death?"

"No," I say. "I work low-key crimes. Not very dangerous. He does the big-city crimes. Drug busts and gang crimes and serial homicides."

"And where do you three live now?"

"Kansas, actually. But we both travel all over."

"And who watches little Joanna Beth while you're traveling?" my mom asks.

"Sam's brother."

"So, why the name Joanna Beth?" my dad questions.

"Oh, Joanna Beth was the name of an agent in the force with Sam. She saved his life."

"What happened to her?"

"She, uh, died. Five years ago."

Sam sits back down on the chair, his hands clasped together tightly. I didn't even realize he had come back.

"Leah, can I talk to you?" he says in a detached voice.

I look at him, frowning. "Yeah. Why?"

"I just got a call from the office. One of the techs found some new evidence." 'Techs' must mean Dean and Cas. I nod and stand up, handing Jo to my mother. Then I follow Sam a little down the hall.

"So, Cas took Dean down to the Holmes county medical office," Sam says, his hands still clasped together tightly. "Dean says it's clear that the man was cut up by a saw."

"So… not a monster?" I ask.

"Nope. Just a regular murder."

"Oh. So then we go home after this, I guess."

"No, we don't," he says, leaning towards me.

I look at him, confused. "Why not?"

"Because I found this on the windowsill of the bathroom." He holds out his hands and opens them, revealing a large pile of sulfur dust. "You _really_ shouldn't have given Jo to her."

"_Crap_," I whisper.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own ****_Supernatural._**

* * *

><p>"What do we do?" I whisper frantically.<p>

"Try to avoid facing them," Sam says worriedly. "They have our daughter. That's their advantage."

"They're not going to just give her back," I say quietly. "So what do we do?"

"First, we need to see if they're still demons," he says. "They could have left a long time ago. Try using _Christo_."

"Then what?" He glances down at his belt, to where I know he has the demon blade hidden. I look back up at him. "You can't kill them! Those are my parents!"

"Well, then we'll have to figure out a way to exorcise them."

"God," I whisper sadly. "This is a nightmare."

"Hey!" he whispers fiercely. "It's okay. We'll get them back. All three of them."

I smile weakly. "Right." I walk back over, trying to keep my back straight and not give anything away.

"What was that about, sweetie?" my mom asks innocently.

"Oh, nothing. They have a new suspect in the case."

"What's his name?" my father asks lightheartedly. "We might know him."

"Um, it's Christopher Payne," I say loudly, emphasizing the _Christo_.

Immediately my mother's eyes flicker black, then back to their usual blue. I glance at Sam, who doesn't meet my eyes but nods ever so slightly.

I know what we have to do. We have to get her to come outside, so we can trap her and exorcise the demon from her. It's not going to be easy.

"So, mom," I say cheerfully, "what's been happening around here?"

"Save it, bitch!" she hisses.

My father turns to her. "Now, honey-" he starts, but doesn't get far before she turns to him and punches him square in the face. He falls back on the couch cushions, out cold.

"Mom?" I whisper.

"Leah?" she mimics disdainfully. "Why did you lie about being married?" She puts Jo aside gently and stands up. Then she fixes her sights on Sam and starts walking towards him.

"Now, Mrs. Wittmer," Sam says, slowly backing away. "Think this through. You know who I am and what I've done."

She laughs. "Yes, I do. Sam Winchester, the boy king." I look at Sam, confused by what she means. "I've heard that your brother's worse."

Sam shrugs. "Maybe."

"Don't you want to know who I am?" she ask, slowly creeping towards him.

He shakes his head. "Not really. You're probably just some wannabe lower demon who thinks they can actually kill me." He grins sloppily. "News flash: no one's been able to yet. Not for long, anyways."

She growls and lunges at him. He quickly backpedals down the hall and towards the front door, her chasing after him. I run to follow them, but try to stay out of the demon's line of sight.

She must really be an amateur, because she follows him right out the front door and into the devil's trap hidden on the bottom of the mat. When she hits the invisible wall, she starts screaming.

"Go!" Sam calls to me. She whips around and bears her teeth at me.

I close my eyes so I don't have to see it. "_Exorcizamus te_," I begin, "_omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te. Cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare. Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, hostis humanæ salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei; contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine. Quem inferi tremunt. Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos!_"

I open my eyes a few seconds later, just in time to see the black smoke spiral out of her mouth and disappear. Miraculously, she stays standing.

She turns to me slowly. "Leah, you…" she says faintly. I smile and step forward. "You brought that demon into our house!" My smiles falters. Behind her, Sam flinches. As if she can sense him, she turns back around to him. "And you're Sam…" she sounds shocked. "You're Jo's father."

He purses his lips.

She turns back to me. "Take her and leave."

"What?" I say, stunned.

"Take Jo and leave," she says, pushing past me into the living room. "You're not welcome here anymore."

"Why not?"

"A demon, Leah!" she says shrilly. "A demon! Now take your wedlock… _thing_… and your boy-toy and leave!"

"He's _not_ my boy-toy," I say indignantly. "And she's _not_ a _thing_!"

She returns from the living room and shoves Jo into my arms roughly, then pushes me out of the house. And she slams the door behind her without another word.

I stand rooted in my place, lost for words, with Jo resting uncomfortably in my arms. She begins to cry.

Sam scoops her up quickly. "I'll get her in the car," he says softly. "Take you time, okay?"

I nod.

* * *

><p>I get back to the car just as Sam closes the back door after buckling Jo into her carseat.<p>

He puts a hand on my shoulder and pulls me into a hug. "You okay?"

I sigh. "Yeah."

"It's going to be fine."

"I know," I say. "Now let's get away from this place. Please."

He walks around to the driver's side of the car and gets in. I get in on my side, and as soon as I buckle my seatbelt, he pulls out of the driveway and takes off down the road.

"Would driving make you feel better?" he asks.

"I'm fine," I insist. "And no, it wouldn't." I sigh. "How long is it going to be back to Lebanon?"

"About fifteen hours."

"And if you don't drive the speed limit?"

He thinks for a second. "About eleven."

"We'll have to stop, like we did on the way here. I guess we'll go halfway again." In Springfield, Illinois, we stopped after driving for seven and a half hours at one of those crappy motels that Sam and Dean frequent and slept there.

"That's fine," Sam says. "We don't have a case anymore, so we don't have to rush."

* * *

><p>At dusk four hours later, Sam pulls over to get gas. As he's filling the tank, I get out of the front and move into the back. When he gets back, he looks around for me. "Leah?" he asks.<p>

"Back here," I say. "I'm tired. Wake me up when we get to the motel."

He nods and starts driving again.

But I can't sleep, so I just sit there with my eyes partially closed. When Jo start scrying, I begin to sing "Carry On Wayward Son" to her slowly, hoping it will make her fall asleep. Pretty soon she's out, but though I'm really tired, I can't bring myself to sleep.

Maybe it's because I know I'll have nightmares.

* * *

><p>After he checks into the motel, Sam parks the car and wakes me up from my halfway-sleep. "The crib," I say wearily.<p>

"I got it," he says, popping open the trunk.

I unbuckle Jo from her seat and hoist her into my arms, also grabbing the baby bag with all her stuff in it.

Sam takes the plastic foldable crib and our bags from the trunk, then closes it and locks the car before unlocking the hotel room. It's a regular room, with two beds, a desk, an armchair, and a bathroom.

"I'll take this bed," I say tiredly, setting Jo's bag down on the bed closest to the bathroom.

"Go take a shower and relax," Sam says, setting our bags down and taking Jo from me. "I got everything else." I smile at him as best I can before grabbing my bag and heading into the bathroom.

I shower quickly, because there's no hot water, and I don't like taking cold showers. I dress in my sweatpants and a t-shirt, then walk into the other part of the room and almost collapse on my bed. Through my tired eyelids, I can see that Sam's set up the crib and has put Jo to sleep in it. Now he's sitting on his bed, already changed out of his suit.

"You're wearing my shirt," he notes.

"Is that okay?" I ask sleepily. "I'm too tired to change."

"Of course."

"Ok, well, I'm going to pass out now."

"Goodnight," he says quietly.

"Goodnight," I say, then promptly fall asleep.

* * *

><p>I'm in the middle of a nightmare when Sam wakes me up.<p>

"Hey," he says calmly, when I bolt up after he shakes me. "You were whimpering."

"The no-touch rule," I say groggily. The no-touch rule is something I invented a while ago. Whenever I have a nightmare, Sam wakes me up, but he doesn't touch me unless absolutely necessary (like shaking me awake).

"I didn't touch you," he says, sitting back down on his bed.

"I know," I say, taking a hairband off my wrist and tying up my hair so it isn't in my face. "Thanks."

"Okay, then," he says, climbing back under his blankets. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Come here," I say, laying back down. He holds out his hand. "No," I say. "I need to be hugged."

"By me?" He sounds surprised.

"No, by the ghost that's standing right there next to you," I say sarcastically. "Yes, by you."

He looks sort of taken aback, but I scoot over and he slips in beside me without a word. He seems kind of unsure what to do with his hands. "Now you hug me," I say.

He laughs a little. "Right." He wraps his arms around me. "Goodnight," he whispers, his breath hot in my ear.

"Night," I say, closing my eyes.

I don't have anymore nightmares for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>The next morning, as we hit the road again, Sam doesn't mention it. He probably thinks that I think it was a moment of weakness on my part.<p>

But I don't. I only mentally curse myself for not letting him do that since the day I met him, because that was the best sleep I've gotten in almost ten years.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Supernatural._**

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Three months later<strong>_

"Sam," I say, before walking out of the kitchen a few nights later. "Can I put Jo's crib in your room tonight?"

"Sure," he says. "Why?"

"I don't feel like dealing with her if she wakes up crying tonight."

"Sure," he says again. "Come on. I'll help you move it."

* * *

><p>At about one o'clock the next morning, I wake up from my second nightmare. This time, it was my father who was a demon, and he was cutting Jo into pieces.<p>

I'm sick of this. I didn't have nightmares that night in the hotel. Maybe….

I'm out of bed and walking down the hallway before I can chide myself. I've woken him up a few times over the past three months, but I haven't actually got into bed with him since that night we spent at the hotel.

_You'll seem weak, _I think to myself.

_No, you won't,_ the other half of me thinks. _It's natural to crave human interaction._

I reach his door and stop. Looking down, I realize that I'm in shorts and a tank top. My hair hangs down around me limply, still damp from the shower I took earlier in the evening. I shiver. It's too late to change now.

I steel myself, push open his door, and walk into his room. It's pitch black. I can hear both Jo and Sam breathing in and out slowly. Should I wake him up?

I reach the side of his bed. "Sam," I whisper, poking my finger into the darkness and somehow hitting his arm.

He bolts up. "Who is it?" he asks groggily.

"It's just me," I whisper.

"Leah?" He switches on the lamp that sits on his nightstand. "What's wrong?" he asks. "Was Jo crying? I didn't hear her."

"No. I…" I wrap my arms around myself. "I had a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks, scooting over to the other side of the bed and patting the spot next to him with his hand. I climb in cautiously.

I shake my head. "I just-" I hold out my hands. He immediately wraps his arms around me.

"Thanks," I whisper.

"No problem," he whispers back.

"Can I stay?"

"Of course. As long as you turn the light off."

* * *

><p>The next morning, when we're eating breakfast. Cas glances between us and gives us a strange look, but says nothing. Of course he knows. I'm just glad that Dean doesn't see him. He's too preoccupied with feeding Jo, who spits her food onto him and then laughs like it's the funniest thing in the world. Sam and I laugh too, and even Cas grins.<p>

At lunch, Dean and Cas leave to go work a case in Wayne, Nebraska, which is about five hours away from the bunker.

At dinner, which is just Chinese food I ordered, Sam tells me that I'm welcome in his room anytime I have a nightmare. I reply that I'll probably be in there anyway.

* * *

><p>"Didn't you say you never wanted to get married?" Sam asks me the next morning.<p>

I shrug. "Yeah. I mean, I'm not so against it now, but back then I wouldn't have." I take a bite of my scrambled eggs and feed Jo a spoonful of applesauce. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugs. "No reason." He goes back to reading his book on cannibalistic monsters. After a few minutes, he excuses himself to go call Dean.

* * *

><p>After lunch, I'm walking past Sam's room to go put Jo in her crib for a nap when I think I see Dean standing beside Sam's bed.<p>

I shrug and continue on my way, because Dean's obviously not here. The case he's working on with Cas is a longshot, so they probably won't be back for a few days.

But when I'm passing Sam's room again, I stick my head inside. "Did I just see Dean in here?" I ask.

"No," Sam says quickly.

I narrow my eyes. "Okay."

* * *

><p>At dinner, Sam proposes to me.<p>

I don't see it coming. I've just put my hair into a messy bun with a ponytail holder to keep it out of my face while I feed Jo more of that applesauce and tell Sam about one of my hunts five years ago. Suddenly, he says, "Leah?"

Something odd in his voice makes me look up. "Yeah?" I ask, the spoon in my hand poised halfway between Jo's mouth and the bowl.

"Will you marry me?"

My mind goes blank for a few seconds. Then all of my emotions hit me like a tsunami. "Excuse me?" I say, not meaning to sound rude, but doing it anyway.

He pulls a box out of his pocket and opens it to reveal a simple gold ring. "You can say no, if you don't want to."

"Why the hell would I do that?" I blurt, looking up at him.

He smiles. "So does that mean you will?"

The spoon in my hand clatters to the tray on Jo's high chair as I stand up and run around the table, throwing myself onto him. "Of course," I say breathlessly.

He laughs and takes my hand, slipping the gold band onto my ring finger. I hold my hand up to my face to admire it. "This is your mother's wedding ring, isn't it?"

"Who told you that?" Sam asks.

"Dean. He used to wear it. He _was_ in your room today."

Sam smiles again. "Sorry for lying. I couldn't tell you, obviously."

"That's okay," I say, laughing.

"So you're okay with having that ring?" he asks.

"You could probably get me a ring out of one of those toy vending machines and I'd still marry you."

He grins. "That's good to know, in case you ever lose this one on a case or something.."

I nod. "On a sadder note, I can no longer dance to 'Single Ladies' by Beyoncé."

He laughs. "Well, I'd reconsider if I had to give that up."

"I wouldn't." I smile and walk back around the table and pick Jo up out of her high chair. "Look, baby!" I say, holding up my hand to show her my ring. "Mommy and Daddy are getting married!"

She smiles brightly and grabs at my fingers. "Fam-wy," she says slowly, wrapping her hand around my ring finger.

I gasp; Sam makes a noise of surprise. We glance at each other in shock, and then both burst into a mixture of tears and laughter.

Her first word is what we are now.

* * *

><p><strong>So that's it, guys! We've reached the end of this story. Thanks to all the people who reviewed: VampiresAndLiars (especially), fallenangelicwolf, flirtingwithanarchy, chillywinterbreeze, threelittleclouds, 20, liantin92, sammie669, and scartlet tribe! <strong>


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